The Heat is mixing up the buddy cop genre by having women taking the spotlight this time around. It does not really revolutionize the genre but it got one key element right that made The Heat a hoot to watch.

Aiming for a promotion, straight-laced and methodical FBI agent Sarah Ashburn (Sandra Bullock) is on a mission to track a ruthless drug lord in Boston. But this mission will not be easy as she is forced to team up with Shannon Mullins (Melissa McCarthy), a well-meaning but brash undercover street cop who puts off a lot of people around her. The duo must find a way to work together despite their contrasting personalities.

There’s nothing groundbreaking with the plot, it’s standard “catch the criminal” story with two clashing personalities forced to work together. We all know that trouble will ensue before the characters bond and eventually friends. The Heat could have been a bore as we already know what to expect but the movie nailed the very important element to make this type of movie work: Casting the right people.

The first few scenes of The Heat struggled to set the tone right. McCarthy was just doing a version of her breakthrough role in Bridesmaids while Bullock felt like she was just phoning it in. But when the two finally got a scene together, it got better and funnier. The chemistry between McCarthy and Bullock is terrific that watching them do just about anything together is pure joy. There are a lot of been-there-done-that jokes and setups but the two actresses make it work.

The movie is Rated R-13 and even without the excessive profane language, the rating is justified as the movie is quite violent. You would be surprised of the amount of blood that you would see here and there were some scenes that may upset squeamish people. Some of those scenes have comedic bent on it while some are of the procedural kind. Unfortunately, there are those scenes that don’t have a purpose but to shock viewers just for the sake of it (watch out for the choking scene which for me was a bit too much). I do like that the case they were working on has real meat on it and not just an excuse to see our heroines in action and do silly fun stuff together.

The Heat undeniably follows a template and there are parts that don’t work or were just too long to make a biting punchline but one thing to the movie’s advantage is that it never loses momentum. If one comedic setup does not work it will be followed by one hilarious moment after another that the aftertaste of weak spots will not linger on. Yes, The Heat is nothing special overall but it’s a movie that will make you laugh ‘til your hearts content.

Rating: 7/10
Cast: Sandra Bullock, Melissa McCarthy
Director: Paul Feig

The Heat is now showing in theaters nationwide!




Discuss the movie at The Heat thread at Pinoyexchange.com/Movies